A machining cutter, such as an end mill or, more generally, a shank, has a tendency to “walk out” of its receiver (or collet) when used for heavy machining operations during which large quantities of material are machined away in a single pass. Such “walk-out” of the cutter leads to a loss of machining accuracy, thus significantly increasing manufacturing costs. Conventional approaches to this problem are generally limited to the use of bulkier receivers and/or slower linear speeds and/or shallower depths of cut. However, these approaches are associated with various disadvantages, such as reduced maneuverability of the machining equipment as well as restricted access to the workpiece.
A “walk-out” phenomenon will now be briefly discussed without being restricted to any particular theory. Prior to introduction of lateral forces between a shank and a receiver during, e.g., a milling operation, an inside wall of the receiver contacts the shank circumferentially and uniformly, maintaining static friction between the shank and the receiver and retaining the shank within the receiver. When lateral forces are introduced, the receiver may locally elastically deform, resulting in a loss of static friction between the shank and the receiver. As a result, slippage of the shank relative to the receiver may occur.